Too much thought
by Justanotherweeaboo
Summary: Sophie hasn't been feeling well lately both physically and emotionally and Howl has obviously been hiding something from her. Could it be that he is tired of his simple life and has fallen for another woman? Or something much bigger. Rated T for mild sexual references and language.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer, I do not own any part of Howl's Moving Castle or any of the characters.

Quick backstory:

This story takes place after the film, Sophie and Howl are in a committed relationship, Markl is two years older but hasn't grown much, and Calcifer is well...same old Calcifer. The witch of the wastes nor Heen will not be featured in this story.

Birds chirp from a distance not too far away and the warm sun is blanketing part of my exposed skin. Everything is still black as I refuse to open my eyes yet to greet the new day. Some quick footsteps are heard downstairs and I can barely hear someone talking. I continue to lay in bed lazily in protest of having to start my early morning. _'I'm going to stay here forever...or at least for a while longer_ ' I think to myself as I roll over and pull the sheets closer. I smell the faint scent of smoke in the air but mostly bacon...then smoke and bacon...now just smoke.

The footsteps downstairs begin to quicken and the talking is getting louder. I can almost hear what is being said, "Calcifer ... you do!?" "Nothing ...your fault ... not...slave!" "... is...kill us!" I lay motionless waiting for the commotion to die down, but it doesn't. I hear little stomps coming up the stairs that stop right outside my door. ' _Please no.'_ I think to myself squeezing my eyes tight. Then I hear my doorknob turn and I let out a sigh, "Time to get up." I say to myself.

The door bursts open and Markl comes running inside and jumps on top of my bed. I pretend to be asleep. "Sophie are you awake? Sophie?" Markl says in a concerned voice, I stay still. "Sophie?..." He says a bit quieter, leaning in close to see my face when suddenly I jump up from the sheets and grab him causing him to let out a shout and jump. I pull him close to me and begin to tickle his stomach and feet until he begs for me to stop. We stay on the bed letting our laughs out for a while until we catch our breaths. I turn to him and let out a big smile while pulling him into a hug. I've never had kids before nor have I ever had a sibling so young but I imagine this is how it would be like. I honestly love Markl as if he were my own son and I don't think there's anything that could make me angry at him, especially when I see his crazy orange hair. "Sophie, don't be mad but the kitchen caught fire." (I facepalm inside my head) Markl says quietly, so quietly it was almost as if he didn't want me to hear it. Suddenly that innocent, sweet love I had for the little boy temporarily decreased by one percent.

"It's alright Markl, I'm sure Howl will be able to fix the kitchen up quick!" Thank God for Howl, if it weren't for his magic it would take me half the day to clean that kitchen. "Yeah..." Markl says burying his face in the blankets to hide from me. "Master Howl's not here...he said he wouldn't be back until tonight." I continue to lay still before sitting up in bed letting out a BIG sigh this time. "And why didn't he tell me he was leaving?" I keep my eyes closed to try and not get a migraine. "He said he didn't want to wake you up, it wasn't my fault though!" Markl finally got up showing me his face, then went on. "I wanted to make you breakfast as a surprise but Calcifer put the fire too high and burned all the food. Then he got angry and his flame got even BIGGER and some things got burned and the kitchen got full of smoke. But it wasn't my fault!" It was like watching a little lawyer in court making his final case. His expressions and gestures would change with every justifying statement. "Please don't be mad Sophie." Markl said with the saddest face almost making ME feel guilty when I didn't even have part in the fiasco. "Markl you know it's almost impossible for me to be angry at you." Markl began to smile.

"Although!" Markl's smile faded. "You know you're not supposed to use the fire on your own! Just because you've learned how to control Calcifer doesn't mean you can use him by yourself. What if you would have hurt yourself!? Or burned down the whole house?! Howl's not here so we would have been on our own. Why were you so eager to use it on your own?" I say wagging my finger. "Well, I figured it would be a nice gift..." Markl says bowing his head, he knows what he did was wrong but he had good intentions and I could never punish him for trying to do something nice. "Gift? For what- oh nevermind. How about we get dressed and we'll go out and get breakfast together?" I say pulling him into another hug and giving him a kiss on his head. "Really!?" He says squeezing onto me, for a moment I could have sworn he had sparkles in his eyes. "Yes. Where do you want to go? The farmers market, the bakery?" Markl thinks for a minute then decides I should choose where we go. We both get up and out of bed and head downstairs.

The kitchen is in shambles, there is still smoke in the room, and there are a few broken plates and glasses on the floor. Markl doesn't say a word in hopes I don't lash out on him, but of course, Calcifer is the first to speak up. "Sophie don't listen to him! This was all Markl's fault! He told me to put my fire higher and left me alone! Then he wouldn't give me the eggshells and yelled at me when the food burned, he knows my fire raises when I'm angry! He thinks I'm his slave but I don't work for kids like him!" Cal could go on for days but I didn't have the mental stability to continue, I was too busy wondering where Howl went. He's been more absent than usual lately. He always tells me when he's leaving and never leaves for long anymore. It almost felt like before when I first started staying here. Howl would just leave, hardly saying a word and not show up for the rest of the day- covered in bruises and marks. He knows it worries me so much.

While zoning out into my thoughts I can still hear Calcifer arguing with Markl next to me. I'm not dealing with this today. "Stop!" I shout at both of them finally creating some silence. "I'm not dealing with this right now. Nope, not now. Markl, get your shoes were leaving." I say putting on the hat I made long ago. Markl runs to put on his shoes. "But Sophie, won't Howl be upset if the kitchen is dirty?" Calcifer says shrinking into a small flame. "It will take Howl five seconds to clean this kitchen, it would take me five hours. Howl can clean it when he gets home!" I say in a passive aggressive tone unlocking the front door and changing the dial to the city market. Howl changed the dial options a short time after we resettled. One went to the cities market (big lively place with lots of shops and restaurants for us to pass the time and do the shopping), one went to the wastes (I told him to get rid of it but he said for safety purposes we should keep it), one to our secret place, and the last one...I still don't know where it went to. Howl forbids me to ever look and I honor his request.

I tip my hat to Calcifer before opening the door and exiting with Markl at my side. The sun was strong and bright, the air was pretty clean (compared to the inside of our home) but still refreshing due to the fact that we don't get out much these days. Typically Howl would insist on me waiting for him to come home before heading out but I needed to get out for a bit. Howl's been so overprotective recently, he won't let me do anything. If I must go out for something he insists that I at least take Markl with me. "He might not be the strongest wizard yet but I know I can at least rely on him to keep you safe." Howl made Markl jump for joy after saying that. It meant Markl really was progressing and was on track to be a great wizard, so now he gets to accompany me if I truly need a change of pace. Really quite annoying to be honest, he doesn't let me carry anything around the house, won't let me clean the bathrooms anymore, or go up on the balcony to look outside. I know Howl means well but really I'm 20 years old, I AM able to take care of myself.

Without thinking, I end up walking into a dead end alleyway and Markl stops me. "Sophie, where are you going?" He asks tugging at my sleeve to turn me the other way. "Oh sorry Markl, I was thinking about something and didn't realize where I was going." I say continuing our walk. "You know Sophie, you've been out of it a lot recently and you look pale too, do you feel alright?" He asks stopping us at a bench so I can sit down for a little. "A lot? Really?" I ask him surprised. "Yeah, the other day you were putting the plates away where the silverware goes and you've burned dinner three times this week already, that never happens. Also remember you were walked into my room the other day, stood there for a minute, and said you had forgotten why you came to me."

I look from Markl up to the sun, "Have I really been that bad? Maybe I am coming down with something." I ask myself and wonder if maybe that's why Howls been absent more than usual lately, maybe he's annoyed by my absentmindedness. Although now is not the time to think about that, I stand back up and take Markl by the hand. "Well either way, I'm sure a nice, hot, breakfast will clear all that up, right? How about we go to the bakery? I hear they have a new chef, better than the last one." Markl smiles at me and we walk off towards the bakery to have our food and enjoy the morning.

 **BACK AT THE HOUSE**

Calcifers flame grows larger as he sees the dial switch on the front door. Howl quickly walks up the steps but stops right at the edge of the kitchen shocked by the disaster in front of him. "Calcifer, what happened to the kitchen?" He calmly asks then quietly coughs at the faint smell of smoke still lingering in the air. "Well, Markl wanted to make Sophie breakfast as a surprise but ended up burning everything." Calcifers fire shrinks slightly which Howl notices. "So Markl cooking breakfast managed to set the towels on fire...That are six feet away from you? And managed to turn the stove top black?" Howl runs his finger over the stovetop examining the black soot on his finger, then rubbing it off on a nearby dishtowel.

"I may or may not have had a hand in that part…" Calcifer shrinks even smaller. "And where are Sophie and Markl?" He asks taking off his jacket. "They went out to eat breakfast, Sophie said for you to clean the kitchen. Said she wasn't going to clean for five hours when it takes your magic five seconds, the nerve on that girl." "Yes what a nerve indeed, I guess that's why I fell for her." Howl laughs before raising his arms to magically clean the kitchen. Within seconds soot had been raised from dirty pots, pans, counters and the floor before vanishing into thin air. All the items in the kitchen floated back into their designated spot and a sponge began scrubbing a few dirty pans. The windows opened and all the smoke had evacuated, with a final snap from Howl's hand the kitchen sparkled like new. He took a chair and pulled it up to Calcifer to enjoy some of his heat as well to make some small talk with an old friend.

"So how did it go today?" Calcifer grabs a few wooden logs and shoves them into his fiery body. "Good, exhausting but good. Something this big takes a lot more magic than I thought. Everything has to be absolutely perfect, nothing less." Howl says leaning back in his chair, both of them are silent. The sound of crackling wood can be heard throughout the room as well as a few creaks from the castle moving about. Both are deep in thought, Howl much deeper than Calcifer. "How much time do you think you'll need? I can tell she's been worried about you." Howl is pulled from his thoughts. He stands up, walking towards the stairs. "You can't rush these things, but I believe I should be finished by tonight. I need a break though before going back to finish, run some hot water for my bath will you?" Howl proceeds upstairs before Calcifer has a chance to respond. "Wait wha-? Come on!" Calcifer shouts to an empty room before muttering off to himself once again, being left alone.

Next chapter to be posted soon! I really hope you enjoy the story so far!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer, I do not own Howl's Moving castle or any of the characters in this story. I hope you enjoy!

 **SOPHIE AND MARKL**

Soft chatter and laughter is filling the air side by side with the scent of fresh bread and sweets. There is plateware sparkling at every table along with shining silverware. Everything is polished to perfection. A small cafe, only nine tables in total, all covered by white tablecloths with gold lace at the ends. Waiters and waitresses are seen moving about the dining area refilling drinks and removing plates from happy customers. One waitress in particular, removes plates from Sophie and Markl's table, "Might I ask if you enjoyed the food? The chef is new and is taking comments and critiques." The waitress asked. She was very beautiful and young, long red hair and bright green eyes. Her lips were pink and subtle and she had a figure that any girl would die to have. Her movements were soft yet skillful. She removed the plate in front of Sophie and refilled Markl's water. "Ah, yes! It was wonderful, the new chef is very skilled at cooking. Thank him for us for this delicious meal." Sophie gives a warm smile to the waitress and is given one back in return. "Well, I am very glad to hear that! I will surely let him know! Can I get anything else for the two of you?" Markl and Sophie glance at each other for a moment, "Just the bill whenever you're able would be fine, thank you." Sophie says organizing the plates and silverware in front of her so it's easier for the waitress to take. The red headed woman reaches into her apron and pulls out their bill laying it face-down on the table.

"Whenever you're ready." She picks up the places and takes them off into the kitchen. Sophie watches her as she walks away. "What a pretty girl, such beautiful red hair." Sophie says quietly unaware of the fact that Markl was listening. "Yeah but I like your hair better Sophie." He says wiping his mouth with a napkin. Sophie's cheeks turned pink at hearing this, she was not expecting that kind of response. "Really?" She asks grabbing a piece of her hair and examining it. "You really like it? You don't think it makes me look old?" Markl gives her a questioning look, "Old? How could a hair color make someone look old? I see red hair every day, it's not everyday you see someone with silver hair like you Sophie." Markl places the money on the table including a tip for the waitress. Sophie continues to examine her hair noticing it has even grown a few inches in the past two years. A light shines in onto her hair making it sparkle for a moment. "Wow! Your hair is so beautiful! When the sun hits it, it's like starlight!" The red headed waitress says from behind making Sophie jump in her chair. "Oh I'm so sorry ma'am, I didn't mean to startle you. You're hair, it's just gorgeous...Wait a moment..." She tilts her hair as if examining Sophie from head to toe, then Markl, then back to Sophie.

"Your name isn't Sophie by any chance is it?" She asks pointing a finger. Sophie looks at Markl cluelessly who shrugs his shoulders in an _I have no idea either_ kind of way. "Um, yes my name is Sophie and this is-" "Markl, right?!" The waitress cuts Sophie off from her excitement. Sophie and Markl look at each other once again, even more clueless this time. "Yes, but how did you know? I'm afraid I don't remember you from anywhere." Sophie says apologetically to the woman whose smile suddenly reached from ear to ear. "Oh I apologize, my name is Lucina. Howl has told me so much about the two of you, it's so nice to finally match the names to faces." Lucina gives a small bow out of respect for Sophie and Markl.

"You know Howl? How exactly if I may ask?" Sophie asks trying to hide the suspicion in her voice. ' _This is exactly the kind of woman Howl would be spending time with. Maybe this is why he's been gone so much lately...No, I can't think like that, there's no evidence and it's not fair to Howl that I automatically assume those kinds of things.'_ Sophie thinks to herself. "Howl and I have recently become good friends, we see each other quite often as a matter of fact!" Lucina lets out a laugh. ' _Alright, maybe now it's okay to assume'_ Sophie once again thinks to herself while still trying to keep her composure. "That's wonderful, you should stop by and visit one of these days. I could make you some tea." Sophie says recovering her things. She and Markl get up from the table and Lucina escorts them to the exit. "That would be lovely, I'm free today after three actually, would you mind if I stopped by? Howl left some things at my house the other night and I would like to return them." Lucina asks opening the door for them. ' _Okay, now it's SURELY alright to assume something. I wonder if she even realizes Howl and I are together? There's no way, she's too friendly. Maybe he told her I was his sister, or Markl's mother, or housemaid. Now I'm glad I left him the kitchen to clean.'_ "Of course, let me give you the directions." Sophie says with a fake smile pulling out a paper and pen from her purse and drawing a small map with their house circled. The two of them thank Lucina for the service, wave goodbye, and part for the time being.

Almost the entire walk back to the house was silent, Markl made a few comments along the way but Sophie ignored them. Not because she was upset with Markl but because she was too deep in thought to hear him. Eventually, he got the hint and stayed quiet for the remainder of their stroll. ' _Why has he never spoken of her to me before? And why is he leaving things at her house? Why is he visiting her at her house in the first place? He had better not be seeing another woman behind my back or so help me… No that's not Howl, at least not Howl now. I have to talk to him, I'm sure he has nothing to hide. But what if he does… He has been gone a lot lately, maybe he's no longer happy. Ugh, my stomach feels sick. I think I really am coming down with something, my stomach hasn't been feeling well for the past few days. Even Howl had to conjure up a potion one morning because I was vomiting so much. I wonder if-_ "Sophie!" Markl shouts at me before I realize I'm about to walk into traffic. He grabs onto my arm, holding it tightly as he leads me back onto the sidewalk. "Oh my, thank you Markl I don't know where my mind went." I say rubbing my forehead. "Jeez Sophie, I can't leave you alone for a second. When we get home you should lay down for a little bit." Markl says continuing to lead me back to our home.

We approach the house a few minutes later, by now it's about half past noon and we notice the doorknob turning. Howl walks out of the house to both of our surprise, Markl runs up to him with great excitement. "Master Howl you're back!" He begins to tell Howl all about the food from the bakery and what a wonderful time we had, of course, he leaves out the actual reason why we had to eat out. "That's great Markl, I'm glad you two had a nice time. I'll be off now, I have a few things to do in town. I won't be back until sun down so go ahead and have lunch without me." The entire time Howl hasn't even glanced at Sophie yet, maybe trying to avoid her. "Wait, you're leaving again already?" Markl asks looking over at Sophie worried. Howl places a hand on Markl's shoulder "Don't worry, I won't be gone too long." Howl says leaving Markl at the door and approaching Sophie. Trying to keep her composure she simply smiles at Howl, he smiles back then leans in and gives her a goodbye kiss on the cheek. "I will see you later." He says before turning away but Sophie can't hold it anymore, at this point even the kiss just felt wrong. She had to know whether or not he was hiding anything.

"Your friend Lucina is stopping by today, she said you left some things at her house and she wants to drop them off." Sophie says quiet enough for Markl to not hear but loud enough to where it comes into Howls range. Howls face completely dropped, it was as if he had seen a dead body. Markl might have been a young boy but he knew when matters didn't concern him any longer and quietly slipped inside the house to give them some privacy. "You met Lucina? How?" Howl asks now trying to keep his own composure. Sophie noticing this right away felt a small pain in her chest, his reaction alone almost justified her insecurities. "She was our waitress at the bakery. I invited her over today around three. Very beautiful woman isn't she, says the two of you have been spending a lot of time together lately. Howl why haven't you ever mentioned her befo-" Howl stops Sophie mid-sentence by placing a finger on her mouth. "I would appreciate it if you kept your distance from Lucina for the time being." Howl said as if there was nothing to be concerned about but Sophie was VERY concerned now. Why was he avoiding the question, did he really have something going on behind her back? Why did Sophie have to keep her distance from her? The uncertainty was eating Sophie alive at this point.

As Howl begins to walk away he feels a tug on his sleeve, he turns to see Sophie. "Howl please don't go yet." Sophie said looking down and away from him to hide her sad gaze. By this point even Howl could tell there really was something bothering Sophie, she never acted this way. He stopped and waited a moment for her to release his sleeve before turning back to fully face her. Softly he raises his hand to lift her face to his, "Alright." He said warmly before embracing her gently. A heavy breeze only pushed them closer to each other and Sophie tried her hardest to hide her red cheeks. "Hide all you want but I love seeing your blushed face." Howl laughed while Sophie only turned a deeper shade of red and buried her face deep into his chest. He walked her back into the house where they greeted Calcifer and headed up the stairs to his room. Despite everything in the house changing Howl's room still looked the same, talismans, charms, and other enchanted items hung from the ceiling and draped over the walls. While entering the room Howl picked Sophie up bridal style and carried her to the bed. She protested at first but didn't have enough time to make a complete argument before he carefully laid her down on the soft bed. Sophie couldn't deny it but the bed felt amazing at that moment, she hadn't even noticed how badly her feet were aching or the pain in her back. Howl walked over to the other side and laid beside her in bed, watching her slowly doze off.

"Howl, why have you been gone so much lately?" Sophie said trying to keep her eyes open. It was only noon but she felt as if she had been awake for three days. "I can't really explain that right now but if you just trust me I promise everything will turn out fine." Howl said stroking the side of her face only causing her to relax more. "But Howl…" Sophie let out a small yawn before continuing her sentence. "You've been acting so strange lately, it's almost as if you don't want to be around us, or me anymore." Sophie's eyes began to close as she felt the heavy weight of sleep falling upon her. "Are you mad? How could I ever not want to be around you? Any of you! You really need to have more confidence in yourself darling. I promise I'm not going anywhere. Now sleep, you need your rest." He brushes some hair out of her face before placing a small kiss on her forehead causing Sophie to squirm in bed. "It's been over two years since our first kiss and yet you still manage to get embarrassed every time. Hell, we've done a lot more than kiss too. Speaking of which, it has been a while since the last time we..." Sophie's cheeks turn bright red as she takes a pillow and hits Howl on the head with it. "I'm going to bed!" She could already feel him beginning to move his hand further down south from her head. Instead of insisting, Howl lets out a big laugh and pulls her into a tight hug. "You're adorable you know that right?" Howl says slowly letting go and allowing her to get comfortable again.

Sophie lays in bed covering most of her face with a blanket to hide her blush but before she knows it she's drifting back into sleep again. "Howl...why have I been so tired lately?" She asks slowly fluttering her eyes to stay awake a little longer. "Your body has been working extra hard lately, just let yourself rest and you'll feel better in no time." Howl says dimming the lights in the room with his magic and running his fingers through Sophie's hair. "Please don't go…" She said with one final breath before drifting off. Howl could see her eyes closing and waited until her breathing slowed down, he laid there besides her, just watching her sleep for a few minutes. Remembering his schedule he got up out of bed carefully to leave. Quietly he slipped out of the room without making a sound and headed downstairs. There Markl and Calcifer were waiting for him.

"Master Howl, you're leaving already?" Markl asked closing one of his spell books. "Yes, I have more errands to run. This has set me back a little bit but I think I can still make it back before it's too late tonight." Howl changes the dial on the front door. "You know Sophie has been really worried lately...and she's been acting really strange." Markl says hoping to delay his master's departure. "I'm sure Sophie will be fine Markl, now I'm going to-" "She was pale today" Markl interrupts his master for the first time in his life. "...and kept walking in the wrong direction...she even almost walked straight into traffic today. I'm worried about Sophie. I heard her throwing up the other morning...Is she sick? Is Sophie going to be alright?..." The entire room went dead silent, not even Calcifer dared interrupt this moment. Howl couldn't help but stand there shocked, Sophie was so much worse off than he had thought and he was about to leave her again. Howl takes his hand off the door and walks over to Markl. "She almost walked into traffic?" He asked in a monotoned voice. "Yeah, I stopped her before she walked too far into the street. She hasn't been herself lately, she's always tired and complains of aches and pains." At this point, Markl is almost to tears. Sophie being the only motherly figure he had ever known really made this situation hard for him. He was young but knew Sophie wanted Howl to stay, maybe it would be what made her all better. He knew he couldn't go against his master but at this moment he didn't know what else to do.

"Please don't leave Master Howl, I think Sophie needs you right now." Howl kneels down and places both of his hands on Markl's shoulders looking his dead in the eyes, something he does not frequently do. "Markl. You know you're like a son to me, I never say this but I do care for you and Sophie very much. The well-being of the two of you is always on my mind, I swear I would never do anything to hurt either of you. Although, I do need to leave. Everything will be explained soon, trust me. Until then, be strong, cheer up, and keep Sophie company." Howl glances over at Calcifer who is pretending to not be paying attention. "And make sure Calcifer doesn't get carried away, got it?" Howl pats Markl on the shoulders and walks to the door once again. Markl opens his mouth to protest again but Calcifer stops him, "Let him go Markl." Cal says watching Howl exit through the door and disappeared from sight. "I know it doesn't make sense but trust me Markl, Sophie really is going to be fine." Calcifer says shrinking down. There's a long pause in the room, even the crackling fire seemed to have died down. "I wasn't going to try and stop him you know.." Markl says going back to the table with his books and notes. "I was going to thank him." He opens his book to where he left off and begins to read again. "Thank him, for what?" Calcifer grabs a log and places it in front of himself, leaning against it.

"Master Howl has never spoken to me that way before or told me that he sees me like a son. That's a lot coming from my master, it means he sees me as more than just an apprentice. It means he trusts me, it means he sees great things in me. I owe a lot to master Howl as it is, he took me in, agreed to teach me, took care of me, kept me safe. I do see him as a father, I've never told him though out of fear that he wouldn't care for me in that way. But now that I know he does, it just makes me that much more motivated to become a powerful wizard and make him proud of me. I can't let my father down." Markl gave Calcifer a wide grin before going back to his studies. The hours passed as he studied silently before hearing a knock at the door. Looking at the time he realized it was almost four and it must have been Lucina at the door.

Chapter three to come soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again I do not own any of the characters in this story or any part of Howls Moving Castle.**

 **SOPHIE POV**

I roll over in bed feeling the heat from within the covers. Half awake I reach my hand out a bit, then further and further. My arm is reached as far as it can go and I realize I am alone. ' _Howl left'_ I think to myself as my heart sink into my chest. ' _Why? I asked him to stay and he still left. Why is he doing this, maybe I've done something wrong? He said he would never want to leave us and yet he is always gone. Even when I beg him to stay he still manages to escape. Should I just come to terms with the way things are, I don't want to hurt Howl but this isn't the way things were supposed to be. I just wish he would be honest with me.'_ A knock at my door disturbs my thoughts and awakens me fully, it's Markl.

"Sophie, Lucina is here. She says she can't stay long. Are you asleep? Should I tell her to come back another day?" Markl says keeping the door only cracked. He knows he isn't allowed in Howl's bedroom (the magic inside was beyond Markl and he could get hurt) but seeing as Sophie was the only one home he felt it was alright to just peek his head in. "That's alright Markl, I'm getting up. Tell Lucina I will be down shortly okay?" I say sitting up in bed and putting my shoes on. Markl nods and closes the door behind him. I can hear his footsteps throughout the house and some muffled talking downstairs, just like this morning. This time was different though, this time Lucina was downstairs and if I had any chance at figuring out what was going on this might be the best time.

I fix my hair and head down the stairs to find Markl showing off some of his simple magic tricks to Lucina. To my surprise, she didn't seem that surprised, most people who witness Markl's magic tricks are blown away. She applauded him and praised Markl on his wonderful skills but didn't look to be really impressed at all. ' _Probably because Howl has shown her better tricks'_ I think to myself rolling my eyes and joining the group. "Sophie! Glad to see you again, you look a little pale, are you alright? Oh nevermind, before I forget these are Howls things. Please return them for me if you would be so kind. I cannot stay long but I still wanted to drop by and visit." Lucina hands me a bag tied at the top, I don't bother to open it. The fear of what might be inside distracts my curiosity. ' _If it's underwear or clothing, I'll clobber him. If it's something else...I'll still probably clobber him._

"Thank you for returning Howls things, would you care for something to drink? We have tea, coffee, water?" I ask placing the bag in a corner. I could feel my heart racing and a bit of sweat forming on my forehead. I don't know what it was about this woman but whenever she was around I got nervous, I guess it was just her _wow_ factor. Lucina stands up and walks into our kitchen "Yes, I would love a quick cup of tea, allow me to help you please." She grabs the kettle from the sink and begins to fill it with water. "Oh no! Lucina you're our guest, I cannot have you help with something as simple as making tea. Please, have a seat and relax." I protest and take the kettle from Lucina, she huffs at me. "Sophie, I'm a waitress. I'm used to this type of thing, I insist you let me help at least a little, especially with you in your condition." She grabs the kettle back from my hands and gives me a wink. "Condition? What are you talking about?" I ask in a serious tone. Did she know about my absent mindedness? Or how I haven't been feeling well lately? Did Howl tell her about all of my mishaps lately, he wouldn't, considering that's a little private. Something to not be spread around to strangers. Why would he talk about me behind my back?

Lucina, realizing she's said too much shakes her head. "Oh nothing, nothing. Nevermind about that now, how about we start the tea?" Lucina and I continue to chat while waiting for Calcifer to boil the water. Normally he would protest at least a little but seeing as how we had such beautiful company he thought to behave himself. He might have been freed from the curse but he still feared what would happen if he were to ever anger Howl or even myself. "Such a good fire." Lucina says smiling down at Calcifer. "So warm and strong." Lucina places her hand near Cal to absorb some of his warmth. She pulls away, then goes and sits beside me at the table. I can see Calcifer watching her every movement. Trying to not look obvious or suspicious, Markl approaches Calcifer and leans in close. "Calcifer what's wrong? Is she a witch?" Markl asks covering his mouth. "No, but if she was, she'd be the most beautiful witch in the entire world. She says I'm warm! And strong too no doubt! She even tried to touch me! Such a sweet, beautiful woman couldn't possibly be a witch!" Calcifers fire begins to grow at every word, by the end of his speech it's about five times greater than it originally was. "Calcifer calm down! Do you want to set the kitchen on fire again?!" Markl shouts trying to block the view from Sophie and Lucina.

"You mean the way she lit my heart on fire! Look at her, even her hair is red! A great fire demon like me would have no trouble at all swinging me a girl like that! Plus she's just a human meaning it would be easy to impress her with MY magic!" Calcifers fire continues to grow along with his ego and before either of them know it the fire is reaching the size from this morning. There's a bit of smoke filling the room again and some nearby fire logs are starting to spark up as well. "Calcifer stop! Howl's not here remember what Sophie said this morning!" It's at this point where I notice the huge flame and stand up quickly from my chair. "Calcifer! Markl get away from him!" I shout running over and pulling Markl to safety. A few dish towels have picked up on the flames and begin to burn causing more smoke to fill the room. "Calcifer stop!" I yell running over to the kitchen. "I can't! You know once the fire breaks off I can't control it anymore! Hey wait a minute what are you going to do with that?!" He shouts as I fill a bowl up with water and start to throw it on the fire but out of fear of splashing Calcifer I hesitate and miss.

The fire is now beginning to eat away at the countertop and the roof. The house is filling up quick with smoke and my first thought is to just evacuate. Calcifer can survive a fire, but I have Markl and Lucina with me. I can't put their lives in danger as well. I toss the bowl and grab onto Markl's hand, "Hurry Lucina! Follow me out of the house!" I shout but I now notice Lucina isn't phased whatsoever by the flames, she's actually still sipping her tea as if nothing has happened. "Lucina!" I shout while coughing at the smoke. "Alright, I guess it's gone too far now." Lucina says placing her cup down and standing up out of her chair. Although, instead of fleeing with the rest of us she walks straight towards the flame and raises her hands. She muttered a few words but I didn't catch them with all of the commotion and the flames begin to die down. She was like an angel, her red hair flowed so swiftly throughout the room you couldn't tell what was hair and what was fire. Slowly and softly she moved about the room killing each flame and clearing the smoke. Simply hovering her hand over the countertops erased the black soot, she snapped causing all of the windows and doors to open. Curling her lips she let out a long breath and all of the smoke evacuated the room at once. All of the soot was gone, the smoke had vanished, and the flames died.

Markl and I stood there in shock as we watched her perform spell after spell. Our jaws were practically dropped as she turned to us quickly and gave out a wink. Lucina then took her aim towards Calcifer and actually LIFTED HIM into her hands. Calcifers flame grew smaller and smaller the closer she pulled him towards her face. Any and all confidence he had previously had was no longer present. Lucina stopped a few inches away from her bright green eyes and smiled sweetly at Calcifer. "You really are a great and powerful fire demon aren't you? So much to where I don't think you know your own strength. Let's make sure this doesn't happen again, okay?" Lucina slowly places a kiss on Calcifer's face and sets him back down. "Uh huh uh huu…" Calcifer was so out of it, he couldn't even manage to form a complete sentence, he just nodded and made noises. His flame shrank the smallest I had ever seen and turned pink, I guess this was his version of blushing.

Lucina turns back towards us smiling brighter than I had ever seen. Calcifer wasn't the only one affected by Lucina's magic, Markl nor I could say a single word. The two of us just stood there in complete shock trying to understand what just happened. True that wizards and witches weren't much of a rare thing around us considering Howl and Markl were both wizards. Although, Lucina had never so much as showed an interest in magic up until now and for her to be such a powerful witch was even more of a shock. Yes, witches and wizards WERE common but, coming across such a skillful witch or wizard was not an everyday thing. Was this what Howl had seen in her over me? If so I was done for, I can't compete with a woman like her. My shock stays strong but Marlk's seems to die down since he's actually able to speak now.

"L-lucina! That was….AMAZING!" Markl shouts running up to her side. "I had no idea you were a witch and a strong one too! Wasn't that amazing Sophie?!" Markl looks over at me expecting a cheerful face but instead notices sadness and a worried look in my eyes. His excitement wears off quickly and runs back to my side. "Sophie what's wrong? Do you need to sit down?" Markl ask carefully pulling me towards a chair. I shake my head and smile down to Markl, "No Markl I'm alright." I turn my gaze towards Lucina. "That was just beautiful, I've never seen magic performed so lovely before, including Howl's magic. You really are an impressive woman Lucina, I can see why Howl likes spending so much time with you." I wipe a tear from my eye and clear my emotions. If Howl wanted to be with this woman then that's that, there's nothing I can really do to make him stay if he has made up his mind. I want what's best for him and if Lucina is it then I'm glad I got beat by such a strong, beautiful, extraordinary woman.

Lucina tilts her head slightly and gives me a confused look. "I don't know about all that, it's my father Howl really loves spending time with." Lucina says before laughing lightly. "Your father? But I thought…" I ask looking even more confused. Lucina watches my facial expressions for a moment trying to figure out the rest of my sentence before opening her eyes wide. "Wait, you actually thought that Howl and I were...OH HEAVENS NO!" Lucina gives out a loud laugh before sitting down and sipping her tea once more. "Darling Howl IS a great man and a powerful wizard but he's not my type, much too immature for my likings." I take a seat next to Lucina quickly. "But the two of you have been spending so much time together lately and he told me to stay away from you!" I ask urgently and scooting closer. "Yes Howl and I have been spending time together lately, but that's only because I live with my father who Howl has been visiting almost everyday lately. We live in such a tiny house, it's hard to not see each other." Lucina says in a happy tone but it's at this point she realizes she may have overstayed her welcome.

The redhead takes a quick look at the clock on our wall before finishing her cup. "Oh well look at the time, I should really be going now." Lucina quickly gets up and begins to retrieve her things. "But wait Lucina, why has Howl been spending so much time with your father? And why did he tell me to stay away from you?" I ask trying to stall her for more information. Lucina jumps and gives me a nervous look "Uh, I don't really know for sure but I really do have to go right now. We can talk about it another time." She quickly finishes gathering her things and begins to head for the door. I stand in front of her, blocking the only exit. "But why hasn't Howl mentioned you before?" I ask desperately. I don't think it's in Lucina's nature to lie to people because she only avoided the question while trying to get around me but I blocked her every move. Markl just sat in a corner watching, trying to understand exactly what was going on, Calcifer was no help as he was still distracted with his recent love event.

"Sophie please, I really must go now. My father will worry if I arrive late." Lucina says making one last attempt to get around me but I've had it at this point. Why isn't anyone telling me anything, what is going on here?! "Lucina please tell me! Why has Howl been gone so much lately, why is everyone being so secretive around me lately? I'm not letting you leave until you explain what is going on!" I hold out my arms to block both sides of me and firmly stand my ground. The whole room is silent, all I can hear is my heart racing inside of my own chest. I wait impatiently for Lucina to respond, but she doesn't. Lucina just stands there looking from side to side as if she was panicking, I can see a cold sweat breaking out of her forehead. "Uh...Um...Well, haha…" She says looking around the room trying to avoid my eyes before yelling. "Ahhh! I can't do this! Sorry Sophie." Lucina says before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small orange bead. She lifts it up high before smashing it on the ground, a huge smoke bomb explodes filling the entire house. It was orange and smelled slightly like oranges filling every corner of our kitchen. It took a moment for the smoke to clear but when it did we realized Lucina was gone without a trace.

"What was that?" I ask waving some of the smoke away from my face. "Orange tele-bomb, I've read about them. They're pretty difficult to make but if made successfully you can teleport anywhere without the risk of being followed, it also leaves a pleasant scent behind." Markl says sniffing the air around him. I do have to say as upset as I am that she got away, I'm relieved that for once our house is filled with a pleasant kind of smoke. I let out a big sigh, admitting defeat and begin to head upstairs. "Sophie where are you going?" Markl asks following behind for a few steps but stops at the foot of the stairs. "I'm going to go rest for a bit, all this commotion has made me quite tired." I place my hand on top of Markl's head and ruffle his hair a bit before retreating to my room upstairs. "Will you be in your room or master Howl's room?" Markl asks innocently, as simple as the question was it still managed to make me blush a little. Howl and I have been living together for a few years now and we've done just about all there is for couples to do but I still refused to stay in a room with him. Howl's begged me many times to just move my things into his room, he says he would rather wake up to my face every morning. As nice as it would be, I turn him down every time. We're not married and shouldn't be sleeping in the same room but with the way things have been going lately… we may not even be staying in the same house anymore.

"I will be in my room of course!" I shout bashfully and stomp up the steps and lock myself inside my room for some peace and quiet. Glance outside my window and notice the sun is already going down. " _It's probably almost eight o'clock... I wonder when Howl will be back. We have so much to talk about, I'll wait up all night for him if I have to. Even if Lucina is telling the truth, there are so many things I need to ask and get off of my chest."_ I think to myself while slipping off my boots and getting comfortable inside of my bed. I smile lightly to myself as I recall all of the memories I've had here over the past years. " _I remember when I first came here, we were all so happy and full of love, except for the war of course. The walks in our secret place, watching the flowers bloom in spring and summer. Winter time was always so joyace, going on walks, seeing the snow fall together. Obviously Calcifer never joined us, both he and Howl prefer the warmer months."_ I wipe a tear from my eye before it falls down my cheek. The sun continues to set outside as the light in my room slowly dims. " _Christmas won't be the same without everyone, I wonder if I'll even get to see Markl or Cal anymore? There wouldn't be much of a reason for me to come by anymore so probably not. I'll miss out on all of the festivals, holidays, and even the birthday-"_ My eyes open wide at this last thought and my smile fades away and becomes serious. I sit up quick in my bed and look around the room, thinking. "What day is today?" I ask myself outloud as I grab my shoes and quickly slip them on sloppily.

I open the door in front of me and shout Markl's name but he doesn't respond. The entire house is quiet, too quiet for my liking. "Markl! Where are you? Calcifer?" I continue to shout hoping for a response but never get one. I run out of my room and begin to race down the stairs to hopefully find Calcifer asleep at least, he should know where Markl is. Oddly enough, when I reach the kitchen Calcifer is missing too, now things were getting really strange. "Markl?! Calcifer?!" I yell beginning to panic when I feel a soft hand being placed on my shoulder from behind. I don't need to look, I already know who the mysterious stranger is. Every hair on the back of my neck stands up as I hear him speak a single word. "Sophie…"

New chapter to be posted very soon! I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Howls Moving Castle.

It was like a switch, all of my anxiety had vanished, almost like a spell. He was always the only person capable of doing this to me. No matter how stressed out I was, as soon as I hear his voice or feel his warm touch, everything stops. Including time itself. I feel the hand carefully spin me around and a pair of warm lips press against my cheek causing me to close my eyes. I open them slowly and find myself being held close in Howl's arms, I blush at the position he's put me in and look away. "Howl…" I say but he places a finger on my lips to stop me from speaking. "Shh, I have something to show you. Just close your eyes...trust me." He says turning me around and placing my hands in front of my own eyes. Every time he touched me it was as if he was touching a fragile vase, afraid of breaking it. Howl was so gentle he almost made me forget all of my troubles, almost. "Howl wait, I need to talk to you." I say putting our hands back down and facing him again. "You want to talk now? But I have something for you." Howl says trying to raise our hands to my eyes again but I place them back down. "Howl I'm serious. Please." I firmly say turning to look him in the eyes. He lets out a sigh and nods.

"Howl I need to know what has been going on lately, why did you keep Lucina a secret from me? Why have you been gone so much and why are you avoiding my questions? Both of you actually! Lucina blew an orange tele-bomb in the house today just to escape my interrogation." Howl takes a whiff of the air around him "Wow she actually managed to create one? She really is a wonder that girl." Howl says laughing, but he quickly composes himself after noticing how angry it made me. "I'm serious, what have you been hiding from me? It's bad enough that I haven't been feeling well lately but how you've been acting suspicious. If you want me to leave then just say it already… I'd rather go with some dignity than be dragged along out of pity. And on top of all that you've even forgotten my-" I shout but Howls laughing overpowers my voice. "Howl!" I yell but he continues to laugh even harder and harder until he's holding onto his own stomach.

"I apologize Sophie, I really do, but you're such a fool." Howl says turning me around to face the front door. I shout angrily at him for calling me a fool as he walks me up to the door, my shouts are stopped by his lips suddenly pressing against my own. He backs away slowly, still staring into my eyes. "You put too much thought into everything, you realize that right?" He says while turning the dial to black and opening the door. My eyes are still fixed on Howl but a strange glow takes my attention and I look through the door. I become completely stunned by the view in front of me. "Howl…" I whisper before taking a step outside.

Before me is something I never thought I would see in my entire life, it's Starlake. Not just Starlake but Starlake with actual stars floating on top of the water and in the air. They're glowing all around us causing a magical ambiance to form. The sky is covered in stars as well and the entire field of grass decorated with flowers of all kinds. Enchanted by the scenery, I silently and carefully walk through the grass gazing in every direction, it wasn't until I looked up was when my jaw completely dropped. Bright and beautiful, a full moon stood in front of my eyes, closer than I had ever seen before, almost close enough to touch. It was like walking into a storybook, there was even the calming scent of lavenders floating about. It was beautiful, one could not so much as imagine how stunning the view was. "Howl…" I say again even quieter, he could tell how astonished I truly was at the sight considering I barely moved and my expression didn't even change. I couldn't take my eyes off it, it was perfect.

I feel sweet hands wrap around my waist and a head rest on top of mine. "Do you like it?" Howl asks softly while pulling me closer to him. "Like it? I can't find the words...It's beautiful Howl." Feeling tears form in my eyes I quickly wipe them away. Howl lifts his heads and takes a few steps to where he's standing directly in front of me. He takes a hold of my chin and gently lifts my head up towards the moon. "I cannot give you the world, but I am willing to give all that I have, even the moon." He then releases my chin and waves his arms out to show the stars behind him, snapping his finger to cause a rainfall of shooting stars. "You are the only thing that I wish for in this life… and Sophie, you shine brighter than a million stars put together." He lowers his arm and bends down. Howl slowly brings a flower bud to my face and makes in bloom right before my eyes. "I only want to grow more with you, grow our love, our relationship, and our family." The petals fly from the stem in a careful gust and Howl drops the remaining pieces.

"Our family? But Howl-" I try to speak but Howl quietly shushes me before kneeling down onto the ground, leaving one foot planted and holding both of my hands in his own. "I love you Sophie Hatter, there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about you, or our future together. Grant me my only wish and say you'll be with me forever, what do you say? Would you like to be the real ?" Howl places a kiss on my hand awaiting my response but I am still in total shock. "Wait, are you asking me to marry you?!" I ask jumping in my boots. Howl only nods at me, keeping direct eye contact. At this I turn the deepest shade of red humanly possible and my hands begin to shake, this was NOT what I was expecting. "Really?! But what about-well-um...I'm sorry I just wasn't expecting this at all. Are you sure you really want to choose me? What about all that stuff earlier?" I ask trying to form a complete thought without stuttering. I see Howl's head slowly drop down, hair covering his face and he lets out a big sigh. He looks up at me and shakes his head, he stands up and holds both of my hands to his chest tightly.

"Sophie, I'm going to make this quick. Yes I choose you, yes I am sure, 100% sure, I swear it. I love you. I have not been spending time with Lucina but with her father. He's an old friend of mine and I needed help making all this happen." He waves one of his hands around to show off the scenery. "Lucina was only there to give me advice and ideas, as powerful as I am this was just WAY too much magic for one person to hold together. I didn't want you around her because she has quite the loose lip and I wanted to surprise you. The items I left behind at her house were ingredients for potions to make this happen. I have been gone so much lately because I have been planning with Lucina and her father. Everything had to be perfect, I wanted to give you the greatest birthday present ever." Howl says taking a knee to the ground once more. "B-birthday?! You did all this for my birthday?! I have to say it really is wonderful but honestly I even completely forgot what today was until about an hour ago." I say giggling at my own foolishness.

Howl's eyes open wide at this and he tilts his head. "You really didn't remember today was your birthday? I thought that was why you were so upset, because you had thought I had forgotten. What a mess." The two of us give out a long laugh at our misunderstanding before sweetly gazing into each other's eyes silently. Howl smiles at me, "You really do have baby brain." I tilt my head at this and think for a moment. "Baby brain? What's that?" I ask before noticing Howl's eyes widen and his skin turn pale, very pale. "Do you really not know? Sophie don't tell me you haven't realized…" Howl asks almost in disbelief. I simply continue to stare at him questionably before I notice Howl getting very nervous. "What's wrong Howl?" I ask placing a hand onto his cheek. He grabs onto my hand and turns it onto my own stomach. "Sophie, you haven't been feeling well lately. You've been dizzy, nauseous, sleepy, weak, absent-minded, your thoughts have been cloudy, and when was your last menstrual cycle?" Howl asks waiting for the answer to hit me and it does, like a ton of bricks. "It was...about two months...ago….oh my-OH MY HEAVENS! Howl, am I?!" I shout looking down at my own stomach and back at Howl who is sitting there with the widest grin on his face. "Yes Sophie, how could you not have noticed?! I'm a man and I knew, even Markl knew. Granted Calcifer was the first to notice, demons have a sense of some sort on those things. Did you really not realize…Why else did you think I have been so over protective over you lately?" Howl asked as if he was waiting for me to say I was only joking with him. "No! I've been so busy worrying about you and taking care of the house! And Markl! Oh my goodness, we're a family now, I cannot believe this!" Tears begin to flow down my face and Howl wipes them away before taking my hands once more. "Not yet." Howl says looking at me with a serious face and taking a deep breath. "Not until you say yes, remember I asked for your hand and I have yet to receive an answer." Howl says patiently waiting for my response. Tears flow so heavy from my eyes that even my vision is getting blurry. The words simply won't come out, I was so terrified of losing him just a few hours ago and now he's here, asking me to marry him, telling me we're going to be a family. There were no words to express my emotions at that moment. There was just so much love flowing inside of my body.

I nod my head and manage to whimper out a 'yes' before Howl reaches and lifts me up into his arms. We wrap our arms around tightly and begin to cry into each other's shoulders, even Howl spared a few tears to the moment. "You've just made me the happiest man in the world Sophie, you know that? I promise I'll never make you feel insecure ever again, I will love you until the day we die and even into eternity." Howl kisses me firmly on the lips and all I can do is kiss him back. After a few minutes of deep passionate kissing, we part for some much-needed air. "Thank you, Howl." I sweetly whisper giving him another kiss on the cheek. "No, thank you, Sophie." Howl whispers back giving me a quick kiss on the lips instead. I pull back my blushed face and begin to laugh with him. This is the man I love, I couldn't be any happier with anyone else in the entire world. I've never felt this way about another human being, it was as if we were actually meant to be together as if fate itself was pulling us towards one another. He might not be perfect but he is perfect for me, I don't think there is anything in the entire world that could ever make me hate him. "Alright everyone, go ahead and come on out!" I hear Howl shout and notice Markl coming out from some tall grass and Lucina appearing from behind the castle holding a cake in one hand and Calcifer in the other.

"Have they been there the entire time?" I ask slowly turning red for the hundredth time in one day. I was expecting for him to shake his head and say no, to tell me 'of course not', but instead Howl turns to me with the biggest grin and I already knew. "Of course they were! Isn't this great! I wanted everyone to be together for this moment." Howl pulls me into a deep hug. I am still unsure if he did this to hide my red cheeks or to keep me from clobbering his face. "How embarrassing..." I quietly say into Howl's chest. Everyone lets out a good laugh before lighting the candles to sing and cut the cake. Markl was the first to approach me, he couldn't stop jumping up and down. "Is it true Sophie?! We're going to be a family?" Markl says running around, trying to get rid of some excess energy. "Yes Markl it's true, but you know... We already were family." I say sweetly as I bend down and give him a kiss on the cheek and pull the little wizard into a hug.

Lucina gives me a smile from afar and I run and hug her tightly. "Thank you so much, I'm sorry I ever accused you of anything." I begin to apologize but Lucina only shakes her head and smiles. "It's alright, I would have suspected the same if I were you. But please, have some more confidence in yourself. You are a young, beautiful, intelligent, strong woman and I can see exactly why Howl has fallen for you." She says holding onto the sides of my head as if she was trying to beat the words into my brain. I see Howl and Calcifer talking from afar. Calcifer and I lock eyes for a moment, he isn't one much for emotional words but the warm smile I received was enough. It was so magical, we all sat together watching the stars and laughing about life. A simple night with wondrous scenery and unexpected surprises, I don't think I had felt happier in my entire life.

Markl can be heard laughing while performing simple magic tricks with the floating stars. Lucina one the other hand, has taken a stroll around the lake with Calcifer. As for Howl and I, we sit hand in hand with my head resting upon his shoulder. I let out a big sigh which catches Howl's attention causing him to look down at me. "Everything alright?" He asks in a calm tone, kissing the top of my head. "Yes, I've just never felt so happy. Everything is perfect, down to the last detail. I cannot believe we're going to get married and that we're a family now. It's just too good to be true." I ease into his arms and relax deeper than I thought was possible. To my surprise though I feel Howl grab onto me and roll me over into the grass. He's practically laying on top of me, holding himself up with his elbows and knees. Expecting another kiss, I close my eyes, I feel his presence get closer and closer before he is only inches from my face.

"So does that mean you'll finally be sleeping next to me from now on?" Howl asks smirking at me. My eyes shoot open and I push him off of myself before rolling over to try and escape. Too soon though I feel a strong hand pull me backwards and I fall into Howl's arms once more. He holds me tight and places his chin on top of my head before kissing it. "You can hide it all you want, but I love seeing your blushed cheeks." He says softly while squeezing me tighter. I roll my eyes before smiling and sink into his chest, the two of us continue to gaze upon the stars for hours. Not making a sound, not wanting to ruin it, only wanting to find a way to make the moment last forever. A moment so perfect, I would continue to replay it in my mind of the rest of my life, for the rest of our lives, for eternity.

The end.

Thank you so much, I really hope you like the story!


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